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The tomato is a key crop cultivated worldwide for the fresh and processing markets. Only a small percentage of the tomatoes processed by industries were produced following the guidelines of the organic farming system. Potential reasons for the limited share of organic tomato production are probably related to the lower yield obtained in organic farming in comparison with conventional farming. In this study, the use of the cherry tomato genotype ‘Tomito’ as a rootstock and two different plant densities (2.5 and 1.25 plant m−2) were evaluated in order to improve the agronomic performances of the commercial processing tomato genotype ‘H3402′ cultivated in the organic farming system. Agronomic and quality parameters were assessed at harvest time. The plant density influenced the plant biometric parameters, mass and marketable yield, and fruit health and quality. The use of a rootstock improved the marketable yield per plant (more than 59%), with the quality of the fruit decreasing the number of sunburnt fruits (−27.7%). The use of the ‘Tomito’ as a rootstock and a plant density of 2.5 plant m−2 are the better choices to achieve good performances in optimal environmental conditions. However, further studies are required to validate these results both in other environments and using different scions.

Aims: Characterization of the transcriptomic responses of grafted tomato seedlings inoculated with two beneficial microorganisms.Methods: mRNA sequencing analyses were performed from leaves of grafted tomato seedlings at flowering stage, 35 days after inoculations. The differential expression analysis results were validated by carrying out a quantitative reverse transcription PCR on nine selected genes.Results and Conclusions: Root inoculations with the two beneficial bacteria can influence the genes activity also in organs distant from roots. Interactions between grafted tomato seedlings and microorganisms suggest that the interactions between tomato and microorganisms are species-specific, and affect the activity of specific sets of genes, that in turn activate and/or involve similar pathways and mechanisms. This study provides novel knowledge on the effects of inoculation of Azospirillum brasiliensis (AB) and Paraburkholderia graminis (PG)on grafted tomato seedling metabolism, and on the molecular mechanisms underlying the improved performance of tomato plants after these treatments as far as yield and stress responses are regarded. AB induced genes coding for different MYB trascrption factors known to be involved in response to biotic and abiotic stresses, PG upregulated 5 genes coding for putative late blight resistance protein homolog. Auxine responsive molecules and giberellins involved in the fruit-set and early fruit growth in tomato were mainly induced by AB.

Key message Exome sequencing-based allele mining for frost tolerance suggests HvCBF14 rather than CNV at Fr-H2 locus is the main responsible of frost tolerance in barley. Abstract Wild relatives, landraces and old cultivars of barley represent a reservoir of untapped and potentially important genes for crop improvement, and the recent sequencing technologies provide the opportunity to mine the existing genetic diversity and to identify new genes/alleles for the traits of interest. In the present study, we use frost tolerance and vernalization requirement as case studies to demonstrate the power of allele mining carried out on exome sequencing data generated from > 400 barley accessions. New deletions in the first intron of VRN-H1 were identified and linked to a reduced vernalization requirement, while the allelic diversity of HvCBF2a, HvCBF4b and HvCBF14 was investigated by combining the analysis of SNPs and read counts. This approach has proven very effective to identify gene paralogs and copy number variants of HvCBF2 and the HvCBF4b-HvCBF2a segment. A multiple linear regression model which considers allelic variation at these genes suggests a major involvement of HvCBF14, rather than copy number variation of HvCBF4b-HvCBF2a, in controlling frost tolerance in barley. Overall, the present study provides powerful resource and tools to discover novel alleles at relevant genes in barley.

Blossom-end rot (BER) is a physiological disorder causing severe losses in tomato crops. Despite its economic importance and the large collection of studies concerning its onset, BER occurrence is still poorly understood, making its prediction and prevention very difficult. Currently, two theories are accredited to explain the BER onset: the first one identifies a reduced root uptake and an aberrant regulation of cellular partitioning of calcium as the major physiopathy agent, while the second one hypothesizes a primary role to abiotic stresses, as they induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the plant, leading to membranes disintegration and loss of cell turgor. To date, there are no unequivocal proofs that allow us to definitively go beyond one of the two hypotheses. Rather, a multitude of genetic, physiological and environmental factors form a complex network of interactions and synergies contributing to BER occurrence. This is why the “multi-disciplinary approach” is maybe the most appropriate one to understand this physiopathy and to develop new and effective BER-contrasting tools with genetic and agronomic methods. This review adopts this kind of approach to investigate the causes of BER and to describe the practices preventing its occurrence, possibly providing the most complete compendium about this disorder to date.

The hemp market is fast growing due to demand for cannabidiol, nutraceutical and hemp fiber products. This work demonstrates the economical advantage of biomass gasification application to indoor hemp production. Gasifiers provide electrical energy, heat and biochar: these are highly valuable products for indoor growers where lights and thermal management are key costs of the business. Energy produced in an autonomous and renewable way increases the sustainability and in the facility. In this paper a small scale gasifier is fueled with certified “A1 plus” wood pellets to test its behavior and its biochar production rate. Biochar is used for hemp growing tests in an indoor hemp production facility. Results show how a 22 kW power plant is sufficient to guarantee almost complete sustainability in a 80 m2 facility. In the best case scenario where energy saving, biochar and thermal energy selling are considered, the gasifier investment has a payback time of about 3.5 years. At the end of the gasifier lifespan, the Net Present Value reaches 249 k€ considering a discount rate of 6%. Consequential results were also obtained from biochar application to pot growing substrates: there was a 7.7% increase in dry flower production and a 33.9% increase in total plant fresh biomass. Cannabinoids profiles resulted not affected by biochar application.

The yield and fruit quality of processing tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.) have increased markedly over the past decades. The aim of this work was to assess the effects of the organic (OFS) and conventional farming systems (CFS) on the main agronomic parameters involved in processing tomato yield components and fruit quality traits of heirloom and modern genotypes. Marketable yield increased from heirloom to modern genotypes, both in OFS and in CFS, showing a difference of ≈20 t per hectare in favor of CFS. Total fruit yield (TY) was not improved from heirloom to modern assessed genotypes, and a difference of ≈35 t per hectare was observed in favor of CFS. In both farming systems, the highest marketable yield of modern genotypes was due to a higher number of fruits per plant, harvest index, nitrogen agronomic efficiency (NAE), and fruit water productivity. Moreover, the main growth parameters involved in the yield differences between OFS and CFS were the number of leaves per plant, the average fruit weight, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and NAE. It is noteworthy that fruit quality improvement in terms of color and brix per hectare was paralleled by a decrease of tomato pH in both farming systems. According to our results, we conclude that to reduce the current yield gap between OFS and CFS, agronomic and breeding efforts should be undertaken to increase leaf area index, fruit number per plant, and NAE for better genotype adaptation to organic farming systems.

In modern agriculture, the reduction of environmental impact, ensuring both high and stable yield and high quality, is a primary goal. To avoid an excessive use of external inputs, without compromising crop performance, the increase of soil nutrient availability and nutrient use efficiency is fundamental in a sustainable potato production. In this framework, the use of plant biostimulants, such as humic substances, seaweed and microalgal extracts, hydrolysed proteins and amino acids and microorganisms, could give a great help to farmers. Due to the agronomic importance and the keen interest in these substances, the aim of this review was to survey and summarise the outputs derived from scientific published studies on the combination of potato and plant biostimulants. In the literature, several in vitro, growth chamber, glasshouse and field experiments were reported. Field experiments were conducted in different environmental conditions, using different genotypes, and all the applied plant biostimulants showed beneficial effects on both productive and qualitative potato parameters. Seaweed extract and humic substances could also reduce the normal dose of fertiliser without reducing yield. Among quality features, tuber size, contents of protein, vitamin C, starch and phenols are the principal parameters influenced by plant biostimulants. Weaknesses related to the use of plant biostimulants were shown and were related to different effectiveness of products due to their origin, production process and microbial species. In addition, product/strain-genotype interactions have been shown. Environmental factor, agricultural practice and timing of treatment can influence the effectiveness of both microbial and non-microbial plant biostimulants.

Nowadays one of the main challenges in agriculture is to increase crop yield and quality in a sustainable way. Organic farming system (OFS) is considered more eco-friendly than the conventional farming system (CFS). However, cash crops showed a reduced yield when cultivated in OFS, and among them processing tomato reported the highest yield gap between OFS and CFS. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate, both in greenhouse and field experiments, the combined effects of a cherry rootstock, genotype ‘Tomito’, and the applications of different microbial biostimulants (single species and consortia). The agronomic performance of a commercial processing tomato genotype, ‘H3402’, was assessed in order to increase fruit yield and quality in sustainable farming systems. In greenhouse experiment, the use of ‘Tomito’ as rootstock highlighted both the highest plant height (35 cm) and leaf chlorophyll content (25.20), while plants inoculated with A. brasiliensis showed the highest number of flowers (4.5). In field experiment, the combined use of grafting and microbial biostimulants increased marketable (on average 2.3 kg plant–1) and total yield (on average 2.5 kg plant–1) in comparison with the genotype ‘H3402’. All the investigated treatments reduced the number of fruits affected by blossom-end rot (on average –4.7 fruits plant–1), and A. brasiliensis also improved the fruit solid soluble content, recording values of 6.23 °Brix and 3.54 of Brix t ha–1.

The impact of environment, genetic selection and their interactions on grain yield of durum wheat genotypes has been extensively studied; however, limited information is available for their influence on gluten quality associated with effects on the amount and composition of glutenins, gliadins and celiac disease (CD)-triggering peptides. In this study, a set of six commonly cultivated durum wheat genotypes were assessed in a multi-environment trial of eight site-year combinations in different Italian regions during two consecutive harvest years (2016 and 2017). While high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS) were more stable between years, differences in total gluten proteins were mainly due to low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMW-GS) and gliadins accumulation. After mass separation and quantification, two gliadin proteins – γ-Gli-5 and α-GliA2-6 (41.1 and 33.8 kDa, respectively) – were further studied together with toxic (TP) and immunogenic (IP) celiac disease-triggering peptides obtained via simulated gastrointestinal digestion. While TP accumulation was strongly influenced by the genotypes, IP showed marked variation in the different sites with significant genotype-by-year and genotype-by-site interaction. Specific agrometeorological variables (i.e. growing degree days and aridity index) in different growing phases showed a strong negative correlation with α-GliA2-6 and CD-associated peptides. Statistical analysis revealed that the level of gliadins and TP/IP peptides were uncorrelated with grain protein content and yield. The selection of plant materials with good technological properties but with a low content of CD-triggering peptides should combine with ad hoc environment (e.g. site) selection and management practices reducing crop evapotranspiration in the vegetative phase.

A protein-based film (PBF), obtained from black soldier fly prepupae proteins, was assessed for its agronomic performance as mulch. PBF was investigated in a potting experiment and compared with Mater-Bi (MB), polyethylene (PE) and bare soil. During the experiment, degraded surface area, weight and thickness of the film, water evaporated from the pot, and the soil microbiological content (SMC) were recorded. In addition, films were buried to assess their biodegradability and impact on SMC. During the mulching process, the PBF showed a significant degradation. In terms of evaporated water, the PBF performed similarly to MB and worse than PE. Regarding SMC, film of any nature caused an increase in the Clostridia spp. and a decrease of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi contents. When buried, only PBF recorded a faster biodegradability, showing a reduction of surface area, thickness and weight. PBF and MB highlighted a significant increase in contents of Clostridia spp., mesophilic aerobic bacteria and fungi. Our results reported, for the first time, the valorization of black soldier fly (BSF) prepupae proteins as a biodegradable film for mulching purposes. However, further study is needed to reduce the PBF biodegradability and allow it to be used for the most important mulched crops.

At present, consumer concern about the impact of food production on the environment is driving increased demand for high quality and healthy tomatoes. However, the yield of processing tomatoes in organic systems are generally lower than that in conventional systems and only a limited number of genotypes suitable for low input or organic systems are available for farmers. The technique of grafting commercial genotypes onto selected rootstocks offers a faster alternative to the classic breeding process. Therefore, in this study, the use of the interspecific rootstock RS01658654 (RT1) was assessed, aiming to improve the marketable yield of processing tomatoes grown in an organic cropping system. The non-commercial processing tomato genotype TC266 was grafted onto the interspecific rootstock RT1 and the plants were then grown under organic conditions. In two growing seasons, morphological, physiological and agronomic performances of grafted processing tomato plants were compared to non-grafted and self-grafted plants. TC226 grafted onto RT1 had a higher number of flowers and leaves compared with the non-grafted and the self-grafted plants. In addition, the marketable yield (significant in 2017 only), the number of fruits and the fruit dry weight were higher for plants grown on the interspecific rootstock RT1, without affecting the quality of the fruit. The results of this study showed that the use of the interspecific rootstock RT1 could provide a good option for improving the production of processing tomatoes in organic farming.

Il saggio ricostruisce le vicende editoriali di un giornale legittimista, «L’Amico della gioventu» (1832-1837), inserendolo nel contesto culturale della Modena capitale dell’intransigentismo cattolico degli anni trenta. L’analisi della breve vita dell’Amico e pero soprattutto l’occasione per vedere come il suo promotore e direttore Francesco Galvani, provi a costruire una carriera di letterato che cerca di attraversare i confini politici presenti nell’Italia della Restaurazione. Attraverso la ricostruzione di una figura interstiziale come quella di Galvani, l’obiettivo del saggio e dunque quello di offrire un peculiare sguardo sul mondo delle lettere italiane nella prima meta dell’ottocento

Six processing tomato seedlings, representative of cultivars widely cultivated over the last 80 years in Southern Europe, were compared to assess the physiological responses to chilling. Low temperature stress was applied for 24 h (1 °C, day and night). PEARSON, the oldest cultivar, reported the highest values of chlorophyll content both using DUALEX (ChlDX = 23.11) and SPAD (ChlSPAD = 35.27) and nitrogen balance index (NBIDX = 29.62) measured with DUALEX, before chilling stress. The cultivar E6203 was the least sensitive to chilling with the highest value of maximal photosystem II (PSII) efficiency (Fv/Fm2 = 0.64) at recovery and visual regrowth score (VS3 = 4.0) at regrowth period. As regards chilling tolerance in terms of maximal PSII efficiency, few differences were observed among the cultivars, apart from C33, that was the most sensitive. On the other hand, a better regrowth was recorded in the modern ones. Strong correlations were found between the different parameters investigated both before (SPAD and DUALEX) and after the chilling stress (maximal PSII efficiency, SPAD and electrolyte leakage). SPAD values at regrowth were shown to be a good indicator of tomato chilling status at regrowth period. Analysis of genetic similarity based on microsatellite markers clearly discriminated modern and old varieties according to the year of release. This information could be useful in breeding programs for new cultivars suitable for early transplant, when chilling injury can happen.

Durum wheat ( Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn) is a major food source in Mediterranean countries since it is utilized for the production of pasta, leavened and unleavened breads, couscous, and other traditional foods. The technological and nutritional properties of durum wheat semolina depend mainly on the type of gluten proteins and on their amount, which is a genotype- and environment-dependent trait. Gluten proteins are also responsible for celiac disease (CD), an autoimmune enteropathy with a prevalence of about 0.7-2% in the human population. At this purpose, two Italian durum wheat cultivars, Saragolla and Cappelli, currently used for monovarietal pasta, were chosen to compare (i) the reserve and embryo proteome, (ii) the free and bound phenolics, antioxidant activity, and amino acid composition, and (iii) the content of immunogenic peptides produced after a simulated gastrointestinal digestion. The results obtained from 2 years of field cultivation on average showed a higher amount of gluten proteins, amino acids, and immunogenic peptides in Cappelli. Saragolla showed a higher abundance in bound phenolics, antioxidant enzymes, and stress response proteins in line with its higher antioxidant activity. However, the impact of the year of cultivation, largely depending on varying rainfall regimes through the wheat growth cycle, was significant for most of the parameters investigated. Differences in technological and nutritional characteristics observed between the two cultivars are discussed in relation to the influence of genetic and environmental factors.

Chilling stress limits processing tomato growth and yield, leading to high losses. An approach to increase the sustainability of crop production could involve the use of beneficial microorganisms. The objectives of this research were to investigate: (i) the efficacy of Funneliformis mosseae and Paraburkholderia graminis C4D1M in avoiding processing tomato damage during severe chilling stress, (ii) the synergic effect of the two microorganisms inoculated as a consortium, (iii) if the putative microorganism effects depended on the processing tomato genotype. To achieve these objectives, two experiments were carried out. In the first experiment, a modern genotype was assessed, while three genotypes were evaluated in the second experiment. At sowing, F. mosseae was mixed with peat. Nine days after sowing, P. graminis was inoculated close to the plant&rsquo, s root collar. After 40 days of seed sowing, chilling treatment was performed at 1 &deg, C for 24 h. F. mosseae mainly reduced the cell membrane injuries in term of electrolytic leakage and efficiency of photosystem II, after the chilling stress in both experiments. Conversely, in the second experiment, the consortium improved the seedling regrowth, increasing the efficiency of photosystem II. In addition, modern genotypes inoculated with microorganisms showed a better seedling regrowth.

Nowadays agriculture needs to increase crop sustainability and the organic cropping system has emerged as an interesting alternative approach with respect to the conventional one. On the other hand, the current unfavorable yield gap between organic and conventional systems reduces the organic system's value. Processing tomato is a globally important horticultural crop and used as crop model. The objective of this study was to investigate different biofertilizers that could improve the yield and quality of processing tomato in organic cropping system. An experiment was conducted in Po Valley, northern Italy, during spring-summer 2017. The cultivar used was 'Barone Rosso' blocky fruit genotype, using 2.8 plants m-2, in randomized complete block design with seven biofertilizer treatments (pelleted digestate, granular biofertilizer, biochar, compost tea as foliar spray biostimulant, SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, zero biofertilizer as a control) and three replications. Agronomical and physiological parameters were recorded during the crop cycle. Results showed that tomato grown with biochar recorded the maximum commercial yield (136 t ha(-1)), followed by pelleted digestate (117 t ha(-1)) and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant (113 t ha(-1)) while the minimum production (71 t ha(-1)) was recorded in untreated plots. On average, the results revealed that biochar, pelleted digestate and compost tea + SiO(2) as foliar spray biostimulant, increased the vegetative vigor of plant (+10%), the number of flowers (+13%) and fruits (+41%), the average weight of fruits (+20%), the total biomass production (+48%), the harvest index (+15%) and the Brix t ha(-1) (+49%), with respect to the control. Considering the overall performance, innovative biofertilizers could be promising to improve yield and quality of processing tomato cultivated in organic cropping systems, reducing the yield gap with conventional one.

Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are two toxic heavy metals (HMs) whose presence in soil is generally low. However, industrial and agricultural activities in recent years have significantly raised their levels, causing progressive accumulations in plant edible tissues, and stimulating research in this field. Studies on toxic metals are commonly focused on a single metal, but toxic metals occur simultaneously. The understanding of the mechanisms of interaction between HMs during uptake is important to design agronomic or genetic strategies to limit contamination of crops. To study the single and combined effect of Cd and Pb on durum wheat, a hydroponic experiment was established to examine the accumulation of the two HMs. Moreover, the molecular mechanisms activated in the roots were investigated paying attention to transcription factors (bHLH family), heavy metal transporters and genes involved in the biosynthesis of metal chelators (nicotianamine and mugineic acid). Cd and Pb are accumulated following different molecular strategies by durum wheat plants, even if the two metals interact with each other influencing their respective uptake and translocation. Finally, we demonstrated that some genes (bHLH 29, YSL2, ZIF1, ZIFL1, ZIFL2, NAS2 and NAAT) were induced in the durum wheat roots only in response to Cd.

Barley is an important cereal crop for the arid and semi-arid Mediterranean environments. Future climate projections show that Mediterranean countries will get drier and hotter. The objectives of the study are to: i) simulate the impacts of different climate projections and different sowing dates on yield; ii) quantify the importance of heat and drought on barley yield at different growth stages and sowing dates; iii) quantify the contributions of sources of uncertainty among inter-annual variability, adaptation options and climate projections. Nine locations across the Mediterranean basin were used to calibrate and evaluate the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model. At each location the 40 Global Circulation Model (GCM) outputs (RCP4.5, Mid of the Century) showed an increase in mean growing season temperature between 0.9 and 2.16 °C, while changes of growing season rainfall were between -24 and +24%. Therefore, at each location a drier (Dry), mid (Mid), and wetter (Wet) projection was selected. Overall, there was a 9% reduction in grain yield under climate change; but the mean yield change was -27%, +4%, +8%, for the Dry, Mid, and Wet scenarios, respectively. The results of the simulations under the Wet scenario showed a higher variability of yield response. There was an interaction between the soil type, the amount of rainfall, the extractable soil water content and the maximum air temperature. Because of these relationship water-stress during the vegetative stage was experienced, affecting expansive growth. At the same time, the high number of days with Tmax>34 °C caused higher soil water depletion by the plant and therefore lower yields under the Wet scenario. The inter-annual weather variability impacts barley yield irrespective of the sowing dates and the future projected climate. In conclusion, the impact of future climate on barley yield in the Mediterranean is negative but some locations will be less affected than others.

Breeding for resistance is the most effective tool for controlling the corky root disease of tomato caused by Pyrenochaeta lycopersici. A comparative RNA-Seq-based transcriptomic analysis was conducted at 96 hpi (hours post infection) on two tomato cultivars: resistant Mogeor and its genetic background, and susceptible Moneymaker to investigate the differences in their transcriptomic response and identify the molecular bases of this plant-pathogen interaction. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified was much higher in the susceptible than in the resistant genotype; however, the proportion of upregulated genes was higher in Mogeor (70.81%) than in Moneymaker (52.95%). Gene Ontology (GO) analysis enabled identification of 24 terms shared by the two cultivars that were consistent with responses to external stimulus, such as fungal infection. On the other hand, as many as 54 GO were enriched solely in Moneymaker, including terms related to defense response and cell wall metabolism. Our results could support the previous observations in other pathosystems, that susceptibility and resistance have overlapping signaling pathways and responses, suggesting that the P. lycopersici resistance gene pyl might be a recessive allele at a susceptibility locus, for which different candidate genes were identified based on the differences in induction or expression levels, observed between the resistant and susceptible genotype. MapMan analysis highlighted a complex hormone and transcription factors interplay where SA- and JA-induced pathways are modulated in a similar way in both genotypes and thus take part in a common response while the ethylene signaling pathways, induced mainly in susceptible Moneymaker, seem putatively contribute to its susceptibility.

Several environmental factors, such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures, negatively affect plant growth and development, which leads to yield losses. The tolerance or sensitivity to abiotic stressors are the expression of a complex machinery involving molecular, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms. Here, a meta-analysis on previously published RNA-Seq data was performed to identify the genes conferring tolerance to chilling, osmotic, and salt stresses, by comparing the transcriptomic changes between tolerant and susceptible rice genotypes. Several genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) were identified, suggesting that abiotic stress tolerance involves upstream regulatory pathways. A gene co-expression network defined the metabolic and signalling pathways with a prominent role in the differentiation between tolerance and susceptibility: (i) the regulation of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) levels, through the modulation of genes that are related to its biosynthesis/catabolism, (ii) the signalling pathways mediated by ABA and jasmonic acid, (iii) the activity of the &ldquo, Drought and Salt Tolerance&rdquo, TF, involved in the negative regulation of stomatal closure, and (iv) the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis by specific MYB TFs. The identified genes represent putative key players for conferring tolerance to a broad range of abiotic stresses in rice, a fine-tuning of their expression seems to be crucial for rice plants to cope with environmental cues.

The Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens (L.), Diptera: Stratiomyidae) is an insect whose larvae thrive on agro-industrial by-products. This study reports the first use of black soldier fly larvae processing residue (BSPR) as an innovative ingredient for growing media. BSPR was characterized and evaluated to partially replace commercial peat (CP) in the production of potted plants. Chemical and microbiological analysis showed the suitability of BSPR for soilless production. Hence, six growing media mixtures (CP 100% + slow acting synthetic solid fertilizer, CP 90% + BSPR 10%, CP 80% + BSPR 20%, CP 70% + BSPR 30%, CP 60% + BSPR 40% and CP 100% without fertilizer) were assessed for the production of baby leaf lettuce, basil and tomato potted plants. Using BSPR in a proportion up to 20%, all investigated crops showed values significantly greater than or comparable to those obtained using CP 100% + slow acting synthetic solid fertilizer. In general, BSPR used in a proportion up to 20% increased the crop growth of baby leaf lettuce, basil and tomato, recording a high total dry weight (+31%, compared to the total average) and the measured leaf parameters (+39% of leaf area, +14% of leaf number), without showing abiotic stresses. This study indicates that BSPR used in a proportion up to 20% might be a valid approach for soilless production of potted baby leaf lettuce, basil and tomato plants.

Although compost and biochar received high attention as growing media, little information is available on the potential of vineyard by-products for the production and use of composted solid digestate (CSD) and biochar (BC). In the present study, two experiments are reported on CSD and BC mixed with commercial peat (CP) for grapevine planting material production. Four doses (0, 10%, 20%, 40% vol.) of CSD and BC were assessed in the first and second experiment, respectively. CSD mixed at a dose of 10% recorded the highest values of shoot dry weight (SDW) and a fraction of total dry biomass allocated to shoot (FTS), both cropping bench-graft and bare-rooted vine. On the other hand, CSD mixed at a dose of 40% displayed the highest values of SDW and FTS, cropping two-year-old vine. BC used at a dose of 10% improved SDW, root dry weight, total dry weight, FTS, shoot diameter, and height on bare-rooted vine. The present study shows that CSD and BC, coming from the valorization of vineyard by-products, can be used in the production of innovative growing media suitable for nursery grapevine production. Further studies are needed to assess the combined applications of CSD and BC in the same growing media.

Digestate was evaluated as an alternative and sustainable growing medium and nutrient solution in the hydroponic cultivation of baby leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Nine hydroponic combinations of substrate and fertilization (agriperlite + standard solution, agriperlite + liquid digestate, solid digestate + standard solution, solid digestate + liquid digestate, soil + standard solution, peat moss + standard solution; peat moss + liquid digestate, pelleted digestate + standard solution and pelleted digestate + liquid digestate) were tested and compared for the cultivation of baby leaf lettuce, in three different experiments. During the crop cycles, yield as other agronomical and microbiological parameters were investigated. The combination of agriperlite + liquid digestate, solid digestate + standard solution and pelleted digestate + standard solution enhanced plant growth by affecting the root, the shoot, the total dry weight and SPAD parameters, in the all investigated experiments (+32%, +40%, +29%, +17% respectively). Based on the obtained results, digestate represents a sustainable and alternative growing media or nutrient solution for the production of baby leaf lettuce cultivated in hydroponic system.

Yield of processing tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) increased (∼ 50%) in Italy since the 1930’s. The aim of this work was to assess the changes in yield components associated with morphological, physiological and fruit quality traits in processing tomato cultivars cropped in Italy from the mid-1930s until nowadays, introduced by breeding in six representative cultivars. Marketable yield showed an increase of 0.6% per year of release since the 1930’s. The highest marketable yield was obtained in modern cultivars due to a higher harvest index, fruit number and the ratio between ripe fruit and total fruit in comparison with the old ones. However, no single trait drove the highest marketable yield in modern cultivars. In fact, both morphological (smaller plant height and leaf area index) and physiological (accelerated plant senescence, higher leaf nitrogen status, and lower potential plant water and chlorophyll contents) traits contributed to increase marketable yield in modern cultivars. Moreover, total plant dry weight (shoot + fruit) of a single plant decreased, whereas its total fruit fresh weight and fruit dry matter content were stable and not correlated with the year of release, thus suggesting that a higher sink strength and homogeneity of fruit ripening were also involved in the highest marketable yield showed by modern cultivars. A great effort of breeders was done in the improvement of important fruit quality traits required by Italian canning industries. Fruit colour and Brix yield were positively correlated with the year of release, while viscosity and total carotenoids were negatively correlated with the year of release. However, no improvement was achieved for important traits such as soluble solids content, fruit dry weight and total fruit yield, which instead should be considered in the future breeding programmes, to improve both yield and quality of processing tomato.

Sustainable agriculture aims to reduce its environmental impact. In this research, the carbon footprint and energetic analysis have been performed for three consecutive years to investigate the actual environmental impact of processing tomato production, in the organic (OS) vs the conventional cropping systems (CS), in a specialized Mediterranean area in Southern Italy. The global warming potential (GWP, in term of kg CO2-eq) and primary energy demand (PED, in term of MJ) of processing tomato produced in the two systems (average of three years) were compared in this study. Our results indicate that GWP was on average + 22% in the OS than in CS using 1 ton of marketable fresh fruits as FU. On the other hand, GWP recorded in the OS was, on average, −40% compared to the CS, if 1 ha was considered. A similar impact was registered for PED. The OS showed +28% vs −38% of PED than the CS, using 1 t of marketable fresh fruit vs 1 ha. Pesticide and fungicide applications and soil tillage had the highest impacts among management inputs on GWP and PED, for both farming systems. Hence, the environmental efficiency of these practices could be largely improved in the production of processing tomato aiming at sustainable farming. In conclusion, the differences of sustainability observed between the two farming systems were mainly due to the far lower marketable yield recorded in the OS vs the CS. Therefore, the priority future challenge of organic processing tomato farming should be the reduction of the yield gap between the OS and the CS, through the development of both new genotypes and innovative management methods, designed to reduce the gap, but not increasing the environmental impact on the agroecosystem.

Plant secondary metabolic pathways are finely regulated by the activity of transcription factors, among which members of the bHLH and MYB subfamilies play a main role. Cannabis sativa L. is a unique officinal plant species with over 600 synthesized phytochemicals having diverse scale-up industrial and pharmaceutical usage. Despite comprehensive knowledge of cannabinoids&rsquo, metabolic pathways, very little is known about their regulation, while the literature on flavonoids&rsquo, metabolic pathways is still scarce. In this study, we provide the first genome-wide analysis of bHLH and MYB families in C. sativa reference cultivar CBDRx and identification of candidate coding sequences for these transcription factors. Cannabis sativa bHLHs and MYBs were then classified into functional subfamilies through comparative phylogenetic analysis with A. thaliana transcription factors. Analyses of gene structure and motif distribution confirmed that CsbHLHs and CsMYBs belonging to the same evolutionary clade share common features at both gene and amino acidic level. Candidate regulatory genes for key metabolic pathways leading to flavonoid and cannabinoid synthesis in Cannabis were also retrieved. Furthermore, a candidate gene approach was used to identify structural enzyme-coding genes for flavonoid and cannabinoid synthesis. Taken as a whole, this work represents a valuable resource of candidate genes for further investigation of the C. sativa cannabinoid and flavonoid metabolic pathways for genomic studies and breeding programs.

The principal goal of the organic farming system (OFS) is to develop enterprises that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment. Unfortunately, the OFS yields fewer products per land than the non-organic farming system in many agricultural products. The objective of our study was to assess the effects of digestate and biochar fertilizers on yield and fruit quality of processing tomato produced under the OFS. The experiment was carried out in Po Valley, during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Liquid digestate (LD), LD + biochar (LD + BC) and pelleted digestate (PD) were evaluated and compared to biochar (BC) application and unfertilized control. The results showed that plants fertilized with LD + BC recorded the maximum marketable yield (72 t ha&minus, 1), followed by BC (67 t ha&minus, 1), PD (64 t ha&minus, 1) and LD (59 t ha&minus, 1), while the lowest production (47 t ha&minus, 1) was recorded in unfertilized plants. Over the two cropping seasons, LD + BC, BC, PD, and LD, increased fruit number per plant (+15%), fruit weight (+24%), Brix t ha&minus, 1 (+41%) and reduced Bostwick index (&minus, 16%), if compared to the untreated control. Considering the overall agronomic performances, digestate and biochar can be useful options for increasing yield and quality of processing tomato production in the OFS. Hence, these fertilizers can be assessed in future research both on other crops and farming systems.

Nella prima metà dell’Ottocento circolavano in Italia un gran numero di «oggetti figurati» sui quali erano rappresentati simboli, personaggi, parole d’ordine del movimento nazional-patriottico. Questi oggetti, che popolavano gli spazi pubblici e privati soprattutto nei momenti di maggiore mobilitazione patriottica (1848, 1859-1860), erano presenti anche nei momenti in cui la presa di parola pubblica era bandita. L’obiettivo di questo articolo è quello di ricostruire norme, modalità e obiettivi dell’azione di polizia nei confronti degli oggetti definiti come «sediziosi». L’analisi delle fonti di polizia permette inoltre di delineare le forme di una politicizzazione fluida, fondata sulla comunicazione visuale e popolata da fabbricanti, mercanti, consumatori. Seditious objects. Censorship and material culture in Restoration Italy. In the first half of the nineteenth century a great number of illustrated objects circulated in Italy, depicting characters, symbols and slogans of the national and patriotic movement. These objects permeated the public and private spaces, especially in the moments in which the patriotic mobilisation was at its height (1848, 1859-1860) and even when the public expression of opinions was banned. The objective of this article is to reconstruct the norms, methodologies and objectives of police action in relation objects defined as “seditious”. The analysis of police source allows to trace the forms of an informal politicization, based on visual communication and on a blooming consumer market.

In this study, a digestate was evaluated for the first time as a sustainable alternative to the conventional growing medium and the nutrient solution in the hydroponic production of aromatic species. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and peppermint (Mentha x piperita L.) were assessed at crop vegetative stage with five fully expanded leaves. Four combinations, i.e. agriperlite (AG) + standard solution (SS), AG + liquid digestate (LD), solid digestate (SD) + SS and SD + LD, were compared. The SD used as the growing medium increased all the investigated agronomical traits, apart the harvest index and shoot dry weight height ratio, that showed the same values compared to agriperlite, on basil and peppermint, respectively. The LD used as the nutrient solution performed as well as the SS on basil and peppermint production, except for the percentage of emergence and total dry weight of basil, showing lower and higher values compared to SS, respectively. Shoot dry weight was the most important agronomical parameter and both basil and peppermint displayed high values using the SD as the growing medium. However, basil recorded the highest dry matter value using SD + LD, while peppermint showed similar values using SD + SS and SD + LD. As regards the volatile compounds of both species, the percentage relative amount of sesquiterpenes was found to be higher under SD + LD and SD + SS conditions in comparison to AG + SS and AG + LD, where the content of monoterpenes and allyl phenol derivatives was higher. SD and LD appear to be sustainable and suitable growing medium and nutrient solution for basil and peppermint grown in hydroponics. Further studies are needed to investigate the influence of the treatments also in advanced developmental stages of the crops, appropriate for the production of plants with high yield and quality.